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Welcome to the BioTrust Community! Talk about kicking things off with a bang! This is sure a loaded gun of a question.

I'm not sure if there is a "right" way to address this, as it opens up a big can of worms. The research suggests myriad health benefits to moderate alcohol consumption, which is typically defined as 1 - 2 drinks. However, drinking in excess is clearly an issue for multiple reasons. One of the most fascinating, scientifically-based articles that I've read on alcohol metabolism, body composition, etc., is this one written by Martin Berkhan. Here is another article, complete with scientific references, that outlines the potential health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption.

Will IC-5 still work effectively if alcohol is consumed? Let's take a look at a consuming a daily glass of wine or two.

As mentioned above, there is a fair amount of scientific evidence to suggest that a daily glass of wine has significant health benefits. Whether it's the resveratrol, the polyphenols, or the antioxidants, red wine has long been though of as heart healthy and it has the science to back that up. In addition, there is scientific proof to suggest that the alcohol in and of itself has cardiovascular benefits.

Evidence shows that a reduction in inflammation and blood clotting may contribute to increased heart health; in addition, those same polyphenols found in wine may help protect the lining of blood vessels in your heart. Studies show that alcohol, in moderation, possesses the following heart-healthy benefits:

It's important to delineate alcohol (ethanol) from the carbohydrates found in wine and other alcoholic drinks. Ethanol is not an essential nutrient and is rich in energy, providing 7 calories per gram. Alcohol is readily absorbed throughout the entire gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and the rate at which it's absorbed is likely affected the most by the presence or absence of food in the stomach. After ethanol is absorbed through the GI tract, it heads to the liver, which metabolizes more than 90% of it. The ethanol that isn't metabolized can enter the bloodstream unaltered.

Indeed, the liver prefers ethanol as a fuel so much that it will displace other substrates when available; in other words, it'll use alcohol first. Liver alcohol dehydrogenase (LADH) is a rate-limiting enzyme that oxidizes ethanol at ~15 grams per hour (equal to one regular beer). A 70 kg adult male will be legally drunk after four drinks in one hour.

Chronic alcohol ingestion impairs pancreatic enzyme secretion, which can result in nutrient malabsorption, particularly of fat and protein. Along with pancreatic digestive function, pancreatic endocrine function can be affected: Insulin resistance is a common side effect of alcoholism, which results in a lack of glycogen formation and energy store depletion. Anaerobic energy production can predominate within the cell, resulting in excessive lactic acid production.

All that being said, drinking in moderation should provide only the benefits stated above, not the negative health consequences. Moderate drinking is defined as an average of two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. As a matter of fact, studies also show that moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes. This association could be mediated by an improvement of insulin sensitivity with moderate alcohol consumption.

Moving on to the actual carbohydrate content of wine, fermented beverages, by definition, start as high-carb plants, usually grapes (in wine) or grain. During the fermentation process, the yeasts eat up the carbohydrates, producing alcohol/ethanol (as discussed above). Whatever sugars are left contribute to the carbohydrate content of the beverage, which will vary from one to another. A dry wine has very little residual sugar (i.e., 2.5 - 3 grams per 5 oz. glass), whereas a sweet wine can have quite a bit (i.e., upwards of 14 grams per 5 oz. glass). Most red wines, however, have about 4 grams of carbohydrate per 5 oz. glass. These carbohydrates are generally a combination of glucose and fructose.

All that being said, drinking in moderation really provides a significant health boost without much concern in terms of harmful metabolic consequences or body transformation-detering carbohydrates.

In sum, a glass of wine per day should not have a negative impact on supplementation with IC-5. As a matter of fact, IC-5 may be highly beneficial for the regular drinker (and may even be synergistic in some cases). I do think it's important to remember that while a glass of wine on occasion can confer health benefits, excessive drinking can not only halt fat loss - and even encourage fat gain - it can have significant health repercussions.

As with most things, options usually exist along a continuum of good, better, and best. When it comes to drinking, one may be better off opting for calorie-free sparkling water/soda and freshly-squeezed (unsweetened) fruit juices over regular sodas and highly processed fruit juices, which are rife with sugar and calories. For example, the lovely margarita, which is typically found in restaurants with an abundant amount of calories and sugar, could be dramatically improved by simply combining tequila (añejo is better), the juice of a lime, and a splash of (club) soda.

Further, options like dry red wine may be an even better choice because of its higher antioxidant content and the possibility that it may even promote an improvement in the gut micobiota.

Thanks for shaking the cobwebs out of this thread. Actually, we refer a lot of folks here—which tells you that we've got some people who like to drink—but no one seems to add a reply here. I suspect they don't make it through my long-winded post.

That being said, based on the schedule that you've provided, I would simply recommend that you take your third dose of IC-5 with dinner, assuming that it is more carbohydrate-dense than the pre-dinner drink. Just a reminder, we do recommend that a maximum of three doses of IC-5 be taken per day. This is simply due to the half-life of some of the ingredients.

It's important to note that alcohol can induce hypoglycemia, so one may want to be cautious with combining drinking and IC-5, particularly if s/he is prone to low blood sugar.